Examination Day
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: Six months after the events of Sam's Accident, the firefighters are due for their annual medical exams. Helen decides to make things a bit more interesting for them, by setting a fun challenge. However, she forgets to take into account just how competitive some of the firefighters can be with each other. Will her challenge put Sam, Arnold, Penny, Ben, Tom and Moose in danger?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 1

"Four!" Tom shouted as the cricket ball went flying towards the wall.

I'd already started running down the pitch, so I quickly turned around and dashed back to the safety of my crease. I touched the tip of my bat on the line before Arnold had even caught the ball.

"Come on, you lot!" Station Officer Steele teased. "You're not even trying to get us out!"

I positioned myself back in front of the wickets. "Don't egg them on, sir, or they might start getting serious about this game!"

It was a beautiful summer's afternoon in the last week of August, and my colleagues and I were playing a rather vigorous game of Twenty20 cricket. It was seniors versus juniors, so that meant that Elvis, Arnold and Ellie were versing Station Officer Steele, Penny and myself. Tom had been roped in as the independent umpire and score-keeper. Aside from the normal rules for Twenty20 cricket, we'd added a few of our own, primarily because our cricket pitch was around the back of the fire station. The stone walls marked the boundary, so you were automatically out if you hit the ball over it. And, if you broke a window, you had to pay for it.

"How many more runs do we need to win?" I asked Tom.

Tom consulted his score-sheet. "Thirty-eight. And you have six overs left."

"Easy-peasy!" I smirked. I tapped the tarmac with the tip of my bat, ready for the next delivery.

"Let me have a bowl, Elvis," Arnold said. "He'll just keep hitting fours and sixes if you keep bowling the way you are."

"Okay, then," Elvis agreed.

Ellie crouched down behind the wickets behind me. She was the wicket keeper for the junior team, so she was wearing large, protective gloves, and a cricket helmet. I was also wearing a cricket helmet, gloves, and shin and arm pads. We didn't used to wear so much protective equipment, but after Elvis had nearly had his jaw dislocated by a bouncer a few weeks earlier, Station Officer Steele had decided that we could only continue playing cricket games if we wore proper protection. The last thing any of us needed, or wanted, was for one of us to be out of action due to a cricket injury.

Arnold started his run-up. I kept my eyes focused on the ball in his hand. He pitched it, hard and fast. It would've been a bouncer if it hadn't hit an uneven dip in the tarmac and bounced wide. I darted to the side, but it caught the outside edge of my shin guard, connecting with a solid 'whack!'

"Ah!"

"Sorry, Sam!" Arnold immediately apologised.

"Wide ball!" Tom called.

I bent down to adjust my shin guard. "Not your fault, Arnold. Lucky I was wearing these, or that would've caused a nasty bruise!"

"And quite possibly have lamed you for a week," Ellie added.

"That too," I agreed.

A couple of minutes later, Arnold bowled his next ball. It was a googly, but I was prepared for it, and I managed to hit it off the top edge of my bat. It flew straight up into the air. I immediately started running.

"Just one, sir!" I called to Station Officer Steele as I ran past him.

"Mine!" Elvis called. He stood underneath the ball, ready to catch it as it came down. I stood at the other end of the pitch, waiting to see if Elvis could catch the ball.

He didn't. It slipped straight through his fingers. "Again, sir!" I shouted as I promptly took off running, taking advantage of Elvis' clumsiness as he fumbled around for the ball.

"Throw it here, Elvis!" Ellie shouted. Elvis did so, but I was already safely back inside the crease.

"Well done, Sam!" Penny called from the side-line. "Try and hit it over the roof this time!"

I chuckled. So far, none of us had been able to even hit a ball _onto_ the roof, let alone _over_ it. I'd come close during our last game three days earlier, but it had hit the gutter and bounced back down.

"Come on, Arnold!" Ellie encouraged. "We need to get Sam out, so we can win for once!"

"I'm trying!" Arnold replied. "Trouble is, he's too good at this."

I couldn't help sniggering. Arnold sneered.

"I'll get you out, Sam, if it's the last thing I do!" Because I'd stirred him up, his next bowl was a super-fast bouncer. I instinctively ducked as the ball flew over me. Ellie caught it easily.

"Oi! Watch those bouncers!" I shouted.

"You should've been paying attention!" Arnold retorted.

 _Oh! So, it's an all-out war, is it?_ "I was!" I focused my attention back on the ball.

This time, Arnold decided to try a different tactic by bowling a slow ball. I tipped it off my bat, sending it flying straight over Arnold's head.

"Whoa!" Arnold exclaimed as he instinctively ducked.

"Ha! Serves you right! Run, sir!" I shouted. I was already sprinting down the pitch. Station Officer Steele made it to the crease before Elvis had even managed to pick up the ball.

"Should we go again, Sam?" Station Officer Steele asked me.

"No. I think Arnold needs a bit of time to cool off. I'm happy to stay at this end for now."

"Couldn't take the heat, huh?" Arnold muttered as he walked past me.

I smirked again. "Just remember who got you out for a duck."

If looks could kill, I'd have been fried in an instant. At that moment, we all heard a car enter the side driveway behind us. Turning, I smiled when I saw that it was Helen and Mandy. The summer school holidays were almost over, so I wasn't at all surprised to see Mandy spending some time with her mum. They both got out, and they came over to us. I held up a hand.

"Just stay there for the moment, please," I advised. "We'll just finish this over, and then we can talk."

"Okay," Helen agreed, and she placed her hands on Mandy's shoulders to keep her back.

I leaned on my bat like a walking stick, while Station Officer Steele and Arnold got ready for the next ball. As Arnold made his run up, I took a few steps forward, in anticipation for a run.

Arnold's bowl was rather slow that time, but Station Officer Steele was able to hit it anyway. It bounced against the wall and headed for the middle of the pitch. In the confusion that followed, Station Officer Steele and I were able to make one run. I'd almost reached the crease, when Arnold threw the ball at the wicket I was running towards. I started running even faster, and I only just made it to the crease in time. There was a loud 'clang!' as the ball knocked the metal wickets over onto the tarmac.

"Safe!" Tom declared.

"Yay!" Mandy cheered. "Great run, Fireman Sam!"

"Drat it!" Arnold muttered as he collected the ball. Ellie reset the wicket.

Station Officer Steele chuckled. "Lucky Sam was too fast for you, Arnold!"

"I'll get him out next time," Arnold seethed.

I tapped my bat against the tarmac in front of the wicket, ready for the next ball. "So you keep saying, Arnold! I'm yet to see you do it though!"

Arnold pitched the next ball without even doing a run up. It came at me so fast, I wasn't sure I'd be able to hit it. I swung the bat anyway. The ball hit my bat so hard, I felt the vibration go right through my wrists.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, and I shook my left hand to try and stop the pins and needles.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Ellie asked with concern.

"Yeah. Where did the ball go?"

"It's on the roof!" Elvis replied in astonishment.

"What?" Seeing that everyone else was looking up, I looked up too.

"I think we'll call that a six," Tom decided. "New ball!"

"How will we get it down from there?" Penny wondered.

"Well, since Sam hit it up there, he'll have to go up and get it down," Arnold decided.

"Hey, I only managed to hit it up there because you got frustrated," I replied. "But, I'll go up there later. It's not going anywhere. Let's keep playing for now."

"The next ball will be the end of the over," Tom announced.

"Can I do a swap with Station Officer Steele, please, Tom?" I asked. "That last ball gave my hand pins and needles."

"You're not hurt, are you, Sam?" Penny asked anxiously.

"No, but I do need a bit of a rest from batting."

"Okay," Tom agreed. "But only if Station Officer Steele agrees."

"Of course!"

And so, Station Officer Steele and I swapped ends. With a new ball in hand, Arnold bowled the final ball for the over. Once again, it was very fast, and Station Officer Steele hit it high into the air. I watched as it flew towards the corner of the fire station.

CRASH!

I cringed when I heard the safety glass in the corner window on the top floor break. But the ball didn't stop there. It bounced off the safety glass and flew back down towards Helen's car.

CRASH!

"My car!" Helen exclaimed, shocked.

The cricket ball had completely shattered the front windscreen of Helen's car. We all ran over for a closer look.

"I'm sorry, Helen," Station Officer Steele apologised. "We'll phone Joe, and have that fixed straight away for you."

"Thank you, Station Officer Steele."

I removed my gloves and helmet before I took my mobile phone out of my pocket. Then, I dialled Joe's number. "Hello, Joe? It's Sam. Uh, would you be able to come to the fire station to repair Helen's car's windscreen, please? I'm afraid it just got smashed by a cricket ball."

" _Of course, Sam! I'll be there shortly._ "

I hung up my phone. "Joe's on his way. And I think now would be a good time for me to get up on the roof…"

"That was so amazing!" Mandy exclaimed. "I can't believe you managed to hit that ball onto the roof, Fireman Sam!"

"What about Station Officer Steele?" Penny teased. "He managed to break two windows with just one ball!"

"And you won't hear of that happening in professional cricket!" I added with a laugh.

"Well, I'm glad to see that everyone's wearing protective equipment anyway," Helen added. "I had no idea a friendly cricket match could be so competitive."

"If you call that competitive, you should see us when we play tiddlywinks," I said with a small chuckle.

"I have. Actually, I've come here deliberately, because I need to inform you that you're all due for your annual medical exams and flu shots."

A collective groan arose from all of us. Helen had to laugh.

"Cheer up, everyone! It's not that bad."

"You're not the one on the receiving end," Tom muttered. He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. "I said that aloud, didn't I?"

We all nodded.

"The volunteer firefighters will need to have their medicals done as well, so I'll do theirs with yours this year," Helen continued. "As you all know, the medicals are non-invasive, but I will need to do blood tests, so please ensure you all have plenty to drink from now on. And, since none of you like having your yearly medicals done, I've decided to make things a bit more interesting for you this year."

"What do you mean?" Station Officer Steele asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow, when I come back to carry out your examinations. From what I've just seen though, I don't believe any of you will fail."

"Well, that's a comfort, isn't it, Elvis?" Penny said.

"Not really," Elvis muttered in reply.

Helen smiled. "I think that's all I needed to tell you. Now, if you're all going to resume with your cricket match, I think I'll move my car."

"Around the front should be the safest place," Tom advised. "Nobody's been able to hit the ball _over_ the roof yet!"

"Well, that is reassuring!" Helen said as she climbed back inside her car. "Come along, Mandy."

"Oh, but mum!" Mandy whined in protest. "I want to watch the rest of the game!"

"No way, Mandy! I don't want you anywhere near them, unless you're wearing your crash helmet."

I had to laugh at that. "Come on, everyone! Let's finish this game." I put my helmet back on. "What's the score now, Tom?"

"Hmm… I think we'll make that last one a four, so that means the senior team only needs another twenty-four runs from five overs to win."

"You're going to have to pull some more googlies to get Sam out," Ellie said to Arnold. "And even then, they've still got Penny to come in, and you know that she's just as competitive as Sam."

"Yes," Arnold mused dejectedly. "Maybe next time, we should choose the teams out of a hat, to make it fairer."

"Cheer up, young Arnold!" Station Officer Steele said. "Pretend this is like the Ashes!"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Uh, do we have to?"

We all laughed. It was a well-known fact that Australia had lost the last Ashes series, and Tom was rather sensitive about it.

We went back over to the pitch to resume our game. I manged to get fourteen more runs before Arnold bowled another fast ball. I managed to hit it, but I didn't bother running when I saw where it was heading – straight over the wall.

"Out!" Tom declared.

"Drat it!" I muttered.

"YES! Finally!" Arnold cheered. "I knew I'd eventually get you out, Sam! Whoo-hoo!"

"At least you didn't actually bowl or catch me out," I pointed out as I removed my helmet. "I did it to myself." I handed my bat over to Penny, while Elvis ran to go and fetch the ball. "We'll still win, Penny. You only need to get ten more runs, and that'll be the end of the game."

"Easy!" Penny grinned. "But only if Station Officer Steele doesn't get himself bowled out first."

"I heard that, Firefighter Morris!"

Now that I was out of the game, I headed inside the garage and over to the lockers to remove my cricket gear. As I was removing everything, I saw through the open garage doors that Joe had arrived, and he was repairing Helen's windscreen. Once I'd put my gear away inside my locker, I went over to Helen, Joe and Mandy.

"So, who won the game?" Helen asked.

"It's not over yet, but the senior team is winning."

"Is that your team?"

I nodded. "Since Station Officer Steele, Penny and I are considered 'senior officers', we form one team, while the others form the junior team."

"That makes sense."

"So, what's the little surprise you've got planned for us tomorrow?"

Helen smiled. "Nice try, Sam, but I'm not telling you anything."

"Well, it didn't hurt to try…" And I winked at Mandy.

"You'll just have to wait and find out tomorrow, along with everyone else," Helen told me firmly.

I crouched down to Mandy's height. "Do you know what it is, Mandy?"

"Yes, and I'm going to help set it up. Mum's invited the whole town to come and watch."

"Oh! So, this is something everyone can watch, is it?"

"Sam, don't you have something better to do?" Helen asked.

"No." And I winked at Mandy. A loud shout from the back of the fire station told me that the cricket game was now over. "Well, perhaps I should go and find out who won…"

Helen nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

 _No kidding!_ "Okay. Joe? Send the bill for the windscreen to Station Officer Steele. That's the rule. If you break a window, you pay for it."

I hurried away before either of them could protest. I found everyone else in the locker area, packing away the cricket gear. "Who won?"

"We did!" Penny exclaimed triumphantly. "Just a bit of advice though. Avoid Arnold. He's not taking the lose well."

I laughed. "Don't worry. As long as we remain on separate teams, we'll be rivals. It's good for both of us to have some friendly competition."

"Just as long as you don't overdo it," Penny warned.

"Perhaps we should get Ben involved next time, and then Tom could join in as well?" Ellie suggested.

"Oh! We could have a proper cricket match in the park!" Elvis added eagerly.

"That's not such a bad idea, Criddlington," Station Officer Steele agreed. "I'll see if I can arrange it. Now, who's on night duty tonight?"

Ellie and Elvis held up their hands.

"Okay. The rest of you can sign out and go home. Make sure you're back here at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning for your medicals."

"Yes, sir," we replied in unison.

I whistled loudly. Seconds later, Radar came racing into the garage, and he all but leapt into my arms. "Whoa, boy! Calm down! Let's go home, so I can get your dinner."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 2

I arrived at work at precisely ten to nine the following morning. I was just signing on for duty inside the Control Room, when Station Officer Steele entered the room, carrying his morning cup of tea.

"I think you forgot to do something yesterday, Sam."

"I did? What, sir?"

"You forgot to get the cricket ball down from the roof."

I facepalmed myself. _How could I have forgotten to do that?_ "I'm sorry, sir. I'll go up and fetch it now."

"Make sure you wear a safety harness."

"Of course, sir. I was going to. Is Penny here yet?"

"Yes, she's upstairs."

"Good. I'll need her help." And with that, I headed back downstairs to collect my abseiling gear.

About ten minutes later, I climbed up onto the roof through a small trapdoor in the ceiling of the electrical room. I was wearing my abseiling harness and my helmet, of course. Penny held tightly onto the safety line, while I clipped both of the carabiners that were attached to my harness onto one of the safety wires that cross-crossed all over the roof. The wires were there to make it easy to access the solar panels for servicing.

"Okay, Penny. I'm secure now," I told her. "You can start letting out the safety line."

Penny did so. "Stay in radio contact."

"I will."

I started to walk across the roof, moving around the solar panels. Every now and again, I had to unclip myself from the safety wire to change to a new one. I had to unclip and move the carabiners one at a time, so I was always secured to the roof during that process.

" _How are you going, Sam?_ " Penny radioed.

"Slowly. I can see the ball now. It's in the dip between the two roof sections. I'm making my way over there now."

" _Just be careful_."

"Yes, mother!" I teased.

I'd almost reached the ball, when I saw Helen drive her car up the driveway. Taking a deep breath, I returned my focus to fetching the ball.

"Look, mum!" I heard Mandy say. "Fireman Sam is on the roof!"

"Oh! Do be careful, Sam!" Helen shouted.

"I will, if people would stop telling me to be careful!" I shouted back. Crouching down, I picked up the cricket ball, and I slipped it inside my pocket. Then, I started to make my way back to the trapdoor.

Minutes later, I breathed a sigh of relief as I climbed back inside. "Mission accomplished!"

"Where's the ball?"

I took it out of my pocket, and I tossed it to her. "Here. Save it for the next game." Then, I unclipped the safety line, and we returned to the Main Room.

"Did you get the ball?" Arnold asked as soon as he saw us.

Penny held it up, just as Station Officer Steele and Helen entered the room, followed by the volunteer firefighters, Mike, Dilys and Trevor.

"Oh, I see you got the ball down, Sam," Station Officer Steele remarked.

"Easy-peasy, sir. I'd better go and get out of my harness…"

I headed downstairs. When I entered the garage, I saw Tom, Ben and Moose arriving.

"Been doing a bit of abseiling this morning, Sam?" Ben asked.

"Not quite. I had to get a cricket ball off the roof. You'd better get upstairs. Everyone else is up there, and you know Helen doesn't like to be kept waiting."

I went over to the locker area, and I quickly removed my harness. Then, I hurried back upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. I entered the Main Room just as Helen was about to begin speaking.

"Ah! There you are, Sam," she said. "Now that your all here, we can finally make a start. As you all know, today you will undergo your annual medical examinations. But, before we do that, I have a little challenge for you. Mandy is setting it up downstairs. We'll do that first, and then I'll conduct the medical exams after lunch. Now, who here has ever heard of the 'beep test'? It's also known as a 'multi-stage fitness test'."

I raised my hand. So did Penny, Arnold, Ellie, Tom and Station Officer Steele.

"Okay. And who has ever done a 'beep test'?"

Penny, Arnold, Ellie and I put our hands up again.

"When did you do the 'beep test', Sam?" Arnold wondered.

"I did it a lot during my training at the Cardiff Fire Academy," I replied. "The instructors believed it was the fastest way for us to build up our fitness. Of course, the test was still fairly new then, but it seemed to work for us."

Helen nodded. "Your instructors were partially correct. If done correctly, it can be used to improve fitness. But the test was originally designed to test a person's maximum oxygen uptake. Or, to put more simply, today I will be using the beep test to test your breathing rate. So, yes, it is part of your medical exam, but you can have some fun while you're doing it. The rules are simple. You will run between two sets of witches' cones, set twenty metres apart. Every time you do a 'lap', you will hear a 'beep'. If you fall behind the 'beeps', I will call you out, and the previous level will be the one you've completed. I expect the volunteers to reach level two, and the rest of you to at least complete level seven. There are twenty-one levels in total."

"Oh! Do we actually have to run?" Dilys asked.

"Yes, Dilys. That's the whole point of this exercise," Helen replied.

"I bet I'll be able to complete all of the levels," Ben said confidentially.

"It's a lot harder than you think," I warned. "Only top athletes can make it all the way to level twenty-one."

"I might be a life guard, Sam, but I think I can handle a bit of running," Ben replied.

"Yeah. I'm sure I'll be able to do better than I did the last time I did this," Arnold agreed.

"When can we start the test?" Penny asked.

"As soon as you've all done a proper warm-up," Helen replied. "You can all choose your own warm-up routine, and then I want you to jog twice around the fire station. Then, we'll start the test. But before we do anything else, I have a wristband for each of you." She began to hand them out. "These have already been linked up to the computer, and they'll provide me with some general data, including your heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature while you're doing the test. I can then compare those readings with your resting ones later."

I put my wristband on. "Right. Let's get started."

…

Fifteen minutes later, we were all warmed-up and ready to start the beep test. I wasn't at all surprised to see the rest of the townsfolk: Joe, Lizzy, Hannah, Norman, Derek, Gareth, Charlie, Bronwyn, Sarah, James, Mrs Chen and Lilly, show up to watch.

"I thought you could all do with a cheer squad," Helen explained.

"I guess we'll now get to see who is the fittest one out of all of us," Moose said.

"I'm sure it'll be me," Ben said as we lined up on the starting line.

"Pride comes before a fall, Ben," Penny reminded him.

"Just be aware of your limits, and keep to them," Helen told us firmly. "The important thing to remember is to pace yourselves. The times between each beep will decrease on each level, so you'll need to increase your pace to keep up."

"I hope Fireman Sam wins," I heard Norman say to the other kids.

"It's not a race," Mandy told him firmly. "But mum said we do need to encourage them."

"Is everyone ready?" Helen called.

We all nodded. I had lined up between Arnold and Ben, which in hindsight probably wasn't the smartest idea. Helen went over to her computer.

"Set? Go!"

Helen hit the enter key on her computer as we all took off running. As I'd expected, Ben, Arnold and Moose immediately took off sprinting. Penny and I glanced knowingly at each other as we both quickly settled into a rhythm.

 _If Ben, Arnold and Moose continue sprinting like that, they won't last until level ten_ , I thought as I spun around to complete the first lap.

"Dilys, you're out," Helen called halfway through level three. Ben, Arnold and Moose were still sprinting, while the rest of us kept pace with the 'beeps'. "Ben, Arnold and Moose! You need to slow down," Helen told them firmly. "You're competing against the 'beeps', not each other!"

They slowed down a little, but not by much.

Trevor dropped out during level four, followed by Mike and Station Officer Steele a level later. That left just myself, Penny, Elvis, Arnold, Ellie, Ben, Tom and Moose to carry on. By then, Ben, Arnold and Moose had fallen back into pace with the rest of us, but I could tell from their gasping breaths that the early sprinting had taken its toll on them.

We'd just started level seven, when I heard Moose cry out in pain. "Oh! I've just twisted my ankle, eh." And he limped over to the side line to rest.

The rest of us carried on, concentrating hard on keeping our breathing at an even pace. I was starting to gasp for air, but not as desperately as Ben and Arnold were.

By the time we'd reached level ten, only Penny, Ben, Arnold and myself were left. Tom had dropped out after he'd fallen behind the 'beeps'. As the time between the 'beeps' decreased, I began to pick up the pace. Ben and Arnold tried to go with me, but I could hear their breaths coming in sobs.

 _Serves you two right for trying to race each other!_

"Penny! You're out!" Helen called out at the end of level eleven.

At that point, Ben and Arnold seemed to get their second wind, and they caught up with me. The three of us managed to keep pace quite well until we reached level thirteen. By then, my breath was also coming in sobs, and I could feel the strain in my lungs. However, I was determined not to let the other two beat me, so I increased my pace again.

"Argh!" Ben suddenly cried out, and he stopped. I saw him limp over to Helen, clutching his right upper leg, and I guessed he must've torn something. Now, it was just down to me and Arnold.

I couldn't even hear the crowd cheering now, because the only sound I could hear was my pulse coursing through my ears. It was now simply a matter of running, turning, and then running again.

"Level fifteen!" Helen called out.

At that precise moment, I saw Arnold disappear from my peripheral vision. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw that he'd collapsed, and Helen was running over to him. I turned my attention back to the test, but moving my head while running made me dizzy. Before I could stop myself, my legs collapsed under me, and I started to go down. I blacked out before I even hit the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 3

Someone shook me awake.

"Sam? Sam! Can you hear me?"

It was Charlie. Groaning, I opened my eyes. "Water. Please…" I managed to whisper.

Charlie pressed a water bottle to my lips, and I started to gulp down the refreshing liquid.

"Don't let him have too much right now," I heard Helen say. "Let's try and get him up. He needs to start walking as soon as possible, before his muscles start stiffening up."

Charlie helped me sit up, and I put my head down between my knees while I gasped for air. "What happened?"

"You pushed yourself too hard," Helen gently explained. "I'm sorry. I knew you were all competitive, but I had no idea you'd push yourselves to the point where you'd collapse!"

With Charlie's help, I staggered to my feet. "Not your fault. I was about to quit anyway."

"But you didn't," Charlie pointed out.

I took another sip of water to stop myself from saying something I might regret. Then, I put my hands behind my head, and I started walking around. Arnold was still down on the ground, but at least he was sitting up. We made eye contact for a moment, and then I kept walking. Charlie stayed at my side, just in case I needed some physical support.

The walking helped a lot, and within about ten minutes, my breathing and pulse rate had almost returned to normal.

"Thanks, Charlie," I said gratefully as we entered the fire station garage. "I'll be fine now. I'm sure you have other things you need to do."

"Nothing is more important than taking care of my family, and that includes you, little brother," Charlie replied, and he playfully ruffled my hair.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, and I moved away.

"You used to like having your hair stroked."

"When I was seven, yes. But not now. And I certainly don't like having it ruffled like that."

"Charlie!" Bronwyn called from outside the garage. "We need to go now."

Charlie gave me a sympathetic glance. I smiled reassuringly.

"I'm perfectly fine now, Charlie. Honest. Off you go."

"Okay then…" And Charlie reluctantly left with Bronwyn and the twins.

After Charlie had gone, I went upstairs to where everyone else was starting to gather. Since I had nothing better to do, I went over to my desk, and I turned on my computer.

I was half-way through reading my emails, when Station Officer Steele came upstairs, along with Helen, Mandy and Arnold. Everyone else was already upstairs by then.

"Lunch is ready!" Elvis announced.

"Brilliant! I'm starving after all that," Trevor said.

"But you hardly did anything!" Arnold replied.

"I did!"

"Stop arguing you two, and let's eat!" Station Officer Steele said.

I decided to stay at my desk until the mad rush for food was over. Luckily, in the end, I didn't even have to get up, because Penny kindly brought over a plate of food for me.

"Thank you, Penny. You didn't have to do that, you know."

"Yeah, well, Helen wanted to ensure that you got something," Penny replied with a knowing wink. "After all, with Ben, Moose and Tom here today, we could run short of food."

 _Especially with Elvis cooking._

"Oh, and Helen said to make sure you have plenty to drink for the blood test," Penny added.

I rolled my eyes, and then I turned my attention to my lunch.

…

"Okay, can I have everyone's attention, please?" Helen said about ten minutes after we'd finished our lunch. I spun around on my swivel chair, so I could face her. The others stopped talking, and they faced her as well. "Thank you. First of all, I hope you've all recovered from the beep test."

We all nodded.

"Good. Now, please listen carefully. The examinations will take place downstairs in the Briefing Room, and I will examine you all one at a time. So, we need to decide on the order for the examinations. Considering how last year I didn't have any volunteers to go first, this year I thought we could either go by order of rank, or by surname."

 _By rank, please!_

Helen turned to Station Officer Steele. "Would you like to vote on it?"

"That would be fairest," Station Officer Steele agreed. "I don't really mind either way."

"That's only because you'll be one of the last to be examined, no matter which one wins," I muttered, earning a scowl from my boss.

Unfortunately, the vote to go by order of surname won. That meant that I would go fifth in the examination order.

"Come along, Elvis," Helen instructed. "You're up first."

"Oohh!" Elvis moaned, but he followed Helen downstairs.

Since I had nothing better to do, I returned my attention to my emails while I waited for my turn to be examined. Station Officer Steele went downstairs to monitor the Control Room, and everyone else settled down into little groups to talk.

I had just finished emailing some reports to HQ, when Helen returned with Ben. Ben was rubbing his shoulder.

"Ow! You'd think that in this day and age, they'd have invented an injection that doesn't require a needle," he complained.

"I did warn you not to move," Helen replied. Then, she called out, "Fireman Sam! It's your turn."

Rather reluctantly, I locked my computer screen, and I stood up. I could see that everyone was looking at me as I started to make my way over to Helen. By pure coincidence, the alarms went off at that precise moment.

" _Hannah Sparks and Norman Price have fallen off the quay!_ " Station Officer Steele announced over the loudspeakers.

 _Saved by the alarm!_ "Penny! Ben! Let's go!"

I ran over to the nearest fireman's pole, and I slid down it before Helen could try and call me back. Penny and Ben followed me.

"Ow!" Ben exclaimed when he landed at the base of the pole. "Maybe I should've taken the stairs."

"You two take Venus!" I instructed, ignoring Ben's complaints. "I'll take Mercury."

I ran over to Mercury, while Ben went with Penny over to Venus. I threw on my quadbike helmet, and then I drove Mercury out of the garage, siren wailing. Penny and Ben followed closely in Venus.

When we arrived at the quay, we saw Charlie, Bronwyn, Sarah, James, Joe and Lizzy looking anxiously over the railing. I parked Mercury nearby.

"How far out are they?" I asked as I removed my quadbike helmet.

"Not far, Sam," Charlie replied. "But Hannah's wheelchair has sunk."

Nodding, I ran towards the Ocean Rescue Centre. Penny and Ben were already inside, putting on their ocean rescue uniforms. It didn't take me long to catch up.

"They're not far out, so you two take Neptune," I said. "I'll meet you out there with Juno. Oh, and we'll need to rescue Hannah's wheelchair as well."

"Okay, Sam," Penny replied.

As soon as we were ready, Penny and Ben boarded Neptune, while I slid down the fireman's pole to get to the lower level. Within seconds, I'd launched Juno, and I followed Neptune over to where Norman and Hannah were flailing around in the water.

"Heeelp!" Norman shouted. He waved a hand above his head.

 _Yes, we can see you, Norman…_ "You two get Hannah," I radioed to Penny and Ben. "I'll get Norman."

" _Rodger that, Sam_ ," Penny replied.

I drove Juno over to Norman, and I held out my left arm for him to grab. He did so, and I pulled him up onto Juno behind me.

"Whew!" Norman gasped. He wrapped his arms securely around my waist. "Thank you, Fireman Sam!"

"That's all right, Norman. What happened?"

"We were having a race, just like you did this morning, but Hannah's wheelchair went over the edge. I tried to grab her, but I fell in as well."

I shook my head. "It was very brave of you to try and stop her, but you shouldn't have been playing so close to the water."

Norman hung his head. "I know…"

I drove Juno over to Neptune, and Ben helped Norman get on board. Norman pulled on a spare life vest without even being asked. Then, I watched on as Penny and Ben finished pulling Hannah from the water.

"What about my chair?" Hannah asked anxiously.

"I'll dive in and get it," Penny replied. She was already putting on her scuba diving gear. "Sam, you'd better head back to the fire station. Helen will be waiting for you."

"You really know how to spoil my day!" I joked. However, I turned Juno around, and I drove her back to the Ocean Rescue Centre.

 **In case you were wondering why I was taking so long to update, the reason is simple. I was getting burned out and extremely stressed again, and it was starting to affect the quality of my writing. Basically, I just needed a holiday from writing. Writing is supposed to be fun; not a cause of stress. So, I think it's time I started cracking down on those of you who don't seem to get the hint...**

 **Nothing is more discouraging for an author than receiving a review saying, "More, please", or "Please update". We are NOT machines, and therefore it is impossible for us as writers to continually spit out a new chapter every 24 hours - which is what a lot of you seem to expect me to be able to do. If you honestly cannot compliment a chapter, or say what you liked (or didn't like) about it, then it is better for you not to leave a review.**

 **If this continues to happen, I will have no choice but to stop writing in this fandom altogether (which I really don't want to do). I have NEVER had this level of harassment in the other fandoms I write in, so please just stop it. Yes, I understand that you're anxious for more, but it takes HOURS, sometimes even DAYS to write a chapter well, and do all the required research. So, I'll say it just one more time - I WILL UPDATE WHEN I AM READY TO UPDATE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 4

Helen had just finished examining Arnold by the time I arrived back at the fire station.

"Perfect timing, Sam!" she said as she emerged from the Briefing Room with Arnold. "Come on in."

Arnold headed back upstairs, rubbing his left shoulder. I sighed as I reluctantly entered the room. _I suppose there's no chance of getting out of this. And I've delayed it for long enough._

Helen closed the door behind us, so that we were completely alone. Set up in the middle of the room was a portable examination table. I stood quietly near the door, waiting for instructions. Helen picked up my file. She glanced through it for a moment, before she turned her attention back to me.

"Okay, Sam. I need your wristband back now, so could you please take it off?"

I did so, and I handed it to her. She plugged it into her laptop.

"Thanks. While that's uploading, I want you to get up onto the examination table for me, please."

I did as I was told. Helen picked up a clipboard, and she started filling out a form clipped to it. "Before we begin, I just need to ask you a few basic questions. I know the answers to most of these, but I still need to ask them."

I nodded in understanding.

"Okay. The first question is, are you eating and sleeping normally?"

"Yes."

"Do you take drugs or alcohol?"

"Of course not!"

Helen smiled. "I knew that. And I also know that you don't smoke, so we can ignore those questions. Approximately how much time do you spend exercising each day?"

"Depends on if you consider my job exercise," I teased.

"I'm happy to include it as such."

"Including training sessions, I'd say I spend an average of four to five hours exercising."

Helen wrote that down. "Good. Do you have any allergies or medical conditions that I'm not aware of?"

I shook my head. Helen frowned.

"How's your arm been lately?"

"Perfectly fine," I replied. "I'm still a little cautious with it sometimes, but there are moments when I forget that I broke it. Even then, it's as though I never broke it in the first place."

Helen nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that. The surgeons did an amazing job." She turned her attention back to her laptop for a moment. I stared out of the window, letting my thoughts wander to one of the emails I'd received earlier. It was a trivial matter, but I still needed to figure out how I was going to respond to it.

A movement out to the corner of my eye snapped me back to the present. I watched as Helen took her stethoscope from around her neck, and placed the ends in her ears. She moved behind me, and she placed the disc against the back of my chest.

"Could you cough for me, please?"

I forced myself to cough. Helen moved the disc over to the other side of my back.

"Again, please."

I coughed again. Helen patted my shoulder. Then, she came around in front of me.

"Could you just unbutton your shirt for me?"

I did so, and I held my shirt open for her. She placed the stethoscope disc over my heart, and she listened quietly for a moment.

"Thanks," she said, and she hung the stethoscope around her neck again. "You can do up your shirt again."

"Is that all?" I asked hopefully while I did up my buttons, even though I knew what her answer would be.

Helen shook her head. "Nice try, Sam, but I'm only just getting started."

I saw her pick up an ear thermometer. Anticipating what she wanted, I turned my head slightly, so she could place it in my ear. When it beeped, she removed it and read the screen.

"Normal. Now, I need to test your eyesight." Helen picked up a small torch, and she stood directly in front of me. "Just look over my shoulder."

Again, I did as I was instructed. Helen shone the torch deep into my eyes, one at a time. It didn't blind me, but I did start to get a bit restless. Helen sensed that, so she placed a hand firmly on my shoulder.

"Just stay still a little longer," she instructed. A moment later, she turned off the torch and put it back in her medical bag. "Good. Now, I'm just going to test your peripheral vision." Helen stood directly in front of me again, and she held up a pen. "Keep your eyes on my nose, and tell me when you can no longer see the pen."

Once again, I did as she'd instructed. Helen smiled when she finished moving the pen around. "Right. Could you please stand on that line for me?"

I hopped down from the table, and I stood on the strip of tape stuck to the floor. Looking up, I saw an eye chart on the wall a few metres away.

"Which line can you read?" Helen asked.

"The one second from the bottom," I replied. Then, anticipating her again, I read it aloud. "T, Y, H, M, I, W, A."

"Excellent. What about the next line below it?"

That was a little harder. "A, M, O, T, W… um, U, V, X."

"Well done. Now, I want you to close your eyes, and hold out your arms directly in front of you."

I did so. I knew that Helen would be watching to see if I lost my balance, and for any signs of shaking in my hands.

"Okay, you can open your eyes again, now," Helen instructed a moment later. "And I want you to sit back down on the table for me, please. I need to test your hearing now."

Once I was sitting on the table, Helen handed over a set of headphones.

"I'm going to play some tones, and I want you to tell me when you can no longer hear them."

"Sure." I put on the headphones. Helen went over to her laptop, and she hit a key. I easily heard the first tone. It was that annoying 'mosquito' sound, but set to a low pitch. I nodded to Helen, and she turned it up a little. I believe she turned the pitch up about eight times before I could no longer hear it. "I can't hear it now," I told her, and I removed the headphones.

Helen took the headphones from me. "Thanks."

"Now what?"

"I'm almost done. I just have the blood test and flu vaccine to do now. Do you want to lie down, or sit up for this?"

I hesitate. "Uh… I think I'll lie down."

Helen smiled. "I think that's wise, considering your tendency to faint occasionally."

"Shh! I don't want everyone to know my weaknesses."

Helen chuckled. "There's no shame in it, you know. Fainting is much more common than what most people think."

Once I was lying down comfortably on the examination table, Helen placed a cuff around my upper left arm. "Just relax," she soothed as she started to inflate the cuff.

 _That's a lot easier said than done._ I closed my eyes. My left arm was starting to go numb. Helen wiped some alcohol over the veins.

"I hope you've had plenty to drink," Helen said as she prepared the needle.

I nodded slightly. Then, I whimpered when I felt the prick as Helen stuck the needle in my arm. After that, I felt nothing at all.

A moment later, it was all over. Helen removed the needle and she stuck a piece of cotton wool over the incision it had made in my arm. I lay quietly while I waited for her to deal with the blood sample. Once she'd done that, she removed the cuff.

"How are you feeling?" she asked kindly.

I blinked open my eyes. "I think I'm okay," I replied quietly. "But I might stay here for another moment or two, just to be on the safe side. I really don't want to faint today. Arnold would never let me live it down!"

"In that case, I'll give you your flu vaccine now." And Helen started to prepare it.

"Ow!" I yelped when Helen injected me in the shoulder with the flu vaccine a moment later. She'd caught me off-guard, but I didn't dare move.

"Relax, Sam," Helen said. "I'm almost done."

I took a deep breath and I closed my eyes again. Helen removed the needle, making me flinch. "Thank goodness this only happens once a year," I mumbled.

Helen smiled. She set about clearing her workspace. Once I was sure I wouldn't faint, I cautiously sat up.

"So, did I pass?"

"We'll have to wait on the results of the blood test before I can send the official report to HQ," Helen replied. "But based on everything else, yes you have."

I breathed a small sigh of relief. "It'll take a few days for the test results to come back, right?"

"Yes. Now, try not to do anything strenuous for the rest of the day, especially with your left arm. You could make it bleed."

I nodded. "Understood. Let's just hope we don't have any more emergencies today." I carefully climbed down from the table, taking care not to use my left arm. I leaned against it for a moment, to ensure I wasn't going to collapse like I had earlier that morning. Helen watched me closely.

"Right, well, if you're feeling well enough to walk upstairs now, we can go."

I took a few cautious steps. Feeling confident that I wouldn't faint, I led the way upstairs. Helen followed me.

When we got upstairs, I saw that Trevor, Mike and Ben had gone. Obviously, they didn't see the point in hanging around after their examinations.

"Penny?" Helen called. "It's your turn now."

Penny followed Helen downstairs. I went into the kitchen, and I poured myself a cup of tea. Station Officer Steele joined me, and he also poured himself some tea.

"How did you go, Sam?"

"I've passed everything except for the blood test," I replied. "We'll know the results for that in a few days."

"Excellent! Elvis said there were some rock cakes in the biscuit tin for us. He made them last night as a treat."

Grinning, I made a dive for the biscuit tin. "Thanks for the rock cakes, Elvis!" I called.

"You're welcome, Sam!" Elvis shouted in reply from the TV area.

I carried my tea and two rock cakes over to the table. "Since we're not allowed to do anything strenuous, why don't we start planning the epic cricket match?" I suggested to Station Officer Steele.

"Good idea, Sam!" He sat down next to me. "Of course, the hardest part will be sorting out the teams."

"It'd be great if we can get the whole town involved, sir. Even the children."

"I agree. We'll also need an umpire and a referee."

"Why don't we put an ad in the local paper?" Arnold interjected, coming over. "Then everyone would have the opportunity to volunteer for the different positions available."

"In that case, I'd like to captain a team," I replied.

"And I'll captain the other one," Arnold said.

"Fine. And the winner has to shout dinner for everyone."

"And the loser has to wash all of the fire vehicles by himself."

Station Officer Steele facepalmed himself. "Oh, great tangled hoses! I KNEW this would happen with you two! And I'm going to end it right now. Sam, you're on filing duty this afternoon, and Arnold, I want you to sort out all the training lockers. Make sure that everything is accounted for."

"Yes, sir," Arnold and I replied in unison. We winked knowingly at each other. Sure, we were competitive, but at the end of the day, we were friends and that was all that mattered.

 **Thank you everyone for your messages of support. Unfortunately, there's always a few people who try to ruin things for everyone else. I love writing, but sometimes it can get very overwhelming having people demand constant updates. Anyway, I've really enjoyed my little holiday from writing. I've been able to catch up on my hobbies, and get a lot of other things ticked off my 'to do' list. I have decided to end this story here, since I never intended for it to be a long one. It's more of a catch-up sequel to Sam's Accident. I hope you've all enjoyed it, and thank you for reading it and leaving reviews.**


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